Love has its challenges
by midnight20
Summary: I/ka. are deeply in love, but a medlsome Lord stands in the way of that when he wants K. as his bride! Complete
1. Night under the stars

(A.N./ The *...* are peoples thoughts) Love has its challenges xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(*#*)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
  
Kagome looked up at the stars above her, and sighed. She heard a faint noise behind her, she smiled and paid no attention to it. *Wait for it.* "Gotcha!" She felt two strong arms rap around her pulling her downwards causing the two to come tumbling down the small hill, laughing as they were spun around, and around. When they reached the bottom Inu-Yasha was on top of Kagome holding her in an embrace as they continued laughing. When they had caught their breath they flopped down on their backs and looked up at the stars. Kagome was still in Inu-Yasha's arms and her head was on his shoulder. Inu-Yasha turned on his side and kissed her sweetly, she kissed him back savoring the moment. When the kiss ended they looked into each other's eyes and saw in return pure true love and trust for one another. Inu-Yasha took off his outer kimono and laid it down on the grass for them to lie on top of. Then he raped his arms around her again, hugging her to him. Kagome snuggled in closer to him, her head on his chest. They lay in silence until Kagome spoke up. "Inu-Yasha?" "Hmm?" "Do you believe in destiny?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, do you believe that somehow our fait is chosen for us? That we're like the planets destined to fallow one path and one path only, or that we're like the stars destined to shine in the same place until we die?" "'Corse I do, destiny lead you through the well to here, to me." He smiled and held her tighter as he said this. Then there was silence again as both of them drifted into a peaceful sleep.  
  
* * * The next day the group was on the road again and when they came past a village they stopped shortly to gather news of the sacred jewel. Kagome and Sango were walking around looking at things in the market when the crowd parted to make way for the Lord of the castle. Today was the day when he would choose his bride so he was out looking at some of the girls from the villages. When he set eyes on Kagome he felt his heart go to his throat as he fell madly in love with her. He walked over to her, took up her hand and yelled "Good people, of all of my travels never have encountered one so beautiful! Let it be known far and wide that she shall be my bride!" "Your WHAT?!" "Come my lady I will take you to your new home." "Wait don't I have a say in this?!" The Lord stared at her blankly. "Of course you don't, as the Lord of this land it is my right to choose whoever I want as my bride." "B-But." Kagome stammered. The Lord simply ordered for her to be lifted onto his horse, and they rode away to he castle. By this time Songo had fled to tell Inu-Yasha. When he heard the news Inu-Yasha was outraged and took off to retrieve her. Meanwhile Kagome had been stripped of her regular cloths and was forced into the most beautiful kimono she had ever seen. I was made of pure silk, and had four layers. The first three were beautiful shades of ocean blue, sunset red, and spring green (in that order). The outer layer of the kimono was a light shade of pink decorated with cherry blossoms and single flower petals. Her hair had to be put up in a high ponytail (like Sango's when she's in worrier mode) decorated with two colored sticks. Lipstick and eye shadow were put on her face. Kagome looked out her window into the courtyard, gazing at what might be her new home if Inu-Yasha didn't come for her soon. *Inu-Yasha please come for me soon.* Then as if answering her thought he came charging out of the forest at full speed. "Inu-Yasha!" She called out to him. "Kagome!" He shouted back, now realizing where she was. Then out of the towers floods of arrows appeared. He managed to dodge most of them and his kimono of the fire rat easily deflected those that he didn't. He leaped closer to her window and then as he was about to make the final leap a long chain came out of nowhere and wrapped around his ankle. It pulled him down hard to the ground and three more appeared entangling his wrists and other ankle. "Inu-Yasha!" Kagome screamed, watching as he struggled against them. Then one more came upon him rapping around his neck, it choked him and wouldn't let him breath. Finally he past-out from the lack of oxygen. "INU-YASHA!" Kagome screamed, tears swelling in her eyes. She watched helplessly as the chains around his neck, ankles, and wrists were taken off, then, as he was roughly dragged off somewhere. * * * The Lord walked into Kagome's room a few hours later, only to see her huddled up on the windowsill, she had obviously been crying. The Lord walked over to her. "My beautiful bride, come, there is something I want to show you that might please you." * * * The dungeon door opened and Kagome was lead inside. They walked past about ten cells before they came to a smoke filled cell. "Enough smoke!" The lord said. When the smoke had cleared Kagome's eye's widened at what she saw. Inu-Yasha was in there! The smoke in the cell had kept him asleep, and now that it was gone he began to wake-up. Inu-Yasha's eyes slowly opened then he looked around him and noticed that he was chained to the wall, his shirt was off so that his back was bare, his stomach was to the ground, and he sideways from the door. "What the hell is going on?! Where's Kagome?!" "I'm right here Inu-Yasha! Can you see me?!" "Kagome!" Inu-Yasha turned his head to look at her. "Alright demon I'm going to ask you again to leave and if you refuse then you will suffer the consequences. "Now, demon leave, and you will not be harmed!" "Not until I rescue Kagome!" "Fine, then you have chosen, bring out the whip!" "The whip?!" Kagome said. "One whipping!" Kagome watched as the whip was brought up over the guard's head, then as it cracked down on Inu-Yasha's back. "AH!" He screamed. "Now demon I will ask you again! Leave!" "Not until I have Kagome!" "One whipping!" WHIT-CHU! "Uh!" "Inu-Yasha listen to me, you have to leave!" Kagome's yelled to him her eyes swelling with tears. "Kagome I will not abandon you! I can take a whipping! I'm a demon!" "Demon leave!" "No!" WHIT-CHU! The whip cracked down again on his already bleeding back he winced in pain. This is it demon, this time I will ask, but it you refuse again you will get ten whippings!" "Inu-Yasha just go! Don't make yourself suffer for me!" Tears were now streaming down her face. "Demon leave!" "Sure I'll leave, when I have Kagome!" "Fine demon you have sealed your fait! Ten whippings, at my count." The man raised the whip over is head again. "One!" WHIT-CHU! "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" "Five!" "Ah!" Inu-Yasha screamed out in agony once again. "INU-YASHA!" "Six!" "Seven!" Kagome couldn't take it anymore, she saw a spear and then pointed it at herself. "Stop! Or I will strike!" The Lord looked up at her, and a look of horror crossed his face. "Stop!" He commanded the guard. "Now unchain him and leave!" She commanded them still with the spear at her heart. The Lord ordered the guard to let him down he fell to the floor with a thud then him and guard quickly walked away. The door to the cell was left open, she ran to him, dropping the spear on her way. "Inu-Yasha!" She cried holding him to her as if afraid he might disaster if she didn't. "Kagome!" He rapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly. She pulled back to look at him, "Oh, Inu- Yasha." Kagome's voice was trembling and she carefully touched a bruise on his face, then cupped his face in her hand. "Why didn't you just leave, then you wouldn't have gotten beaten up so badly." "I couldn't leave you here, now could I?" He said as he held her other hand and lightly kissed her. "What did they do to you?" He looked at her checking to see if she had been injured, then his eyes widened as he saw that she was wearing a wedding kimono. Kagome saw the surprise in his eyes as he looked at her. "I saw Sango run off, and I figured it was to tell you, but I guess she didn't tell you everything." "What do you mean everything?" "The Lord of this castle has chosen me to¼to marry." "TO WHAT?!" "First that wimpy wolf, and now this stupid Lord, God Kagome sometimes I think maybe you're just a little too beautiful!" Kagome giggled at this. "And besides, I saw you first." He pulled her closer to him, and kissed her again. She kissed him back and reached to put her arms around his back, but when she did Inu- Yasha broke the kiss and let out a small whimper of pain and winced. "Oh I'm so sorry Inu-Yasha! I didn't mean to hurt you!" "It's OK Kagome, it was nothing." He said softly. "Now let's get out of here." He tried to stand, but he just fell down again. "Inu-Yasha! She cried as she kneeled back down beside him again. Inu-Yasha you shouldn't try to move yet, you're still hurt." She made him lay down on his stomach. "I'll be right back, no moving 'K." "Don't go." He pleaded playfully with a smirk on his face. He stood up and pulled her down again, kissing her neck. "Hey, come on, that's cheating." "Please don't go?" He asked again. "Inu-Yasha I have to clean your cuts." She unwrapped herself from his grasp and pulled him down onto his stomach again. She came back a minute later with a small bowel of warm water and some rags and she began wiping the blood from his back. He winced slightly every now and then. "I'm sorry if it stings, but I have to get you cleaned up." She said while smiling at him. When she was done she sat down next to him, cradling his head in her lap. "As soon as you can walk again I'll order them to let you go." She whispered to him, caressing his check gently. "But..." He was stopped by Kagome placing a finger over is lips. "Shh. Right now you need to rest. After you're outside the castle gates you can try another way of taking me, I've got a plan and I'll tell you later, but right now you need to sleep." He nodded his head in agreement and closed his eyes. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes and watched as he soon fell into an uneasy sleep, and the sun began to sink. * * * When Inu-Yasha woke up Kagome was gone, but a guard soon came and roughly said, "Come on demon, the bride of the Lord has granted your freedom, out!" Inu-Yasha found that his strength had returned so got up, put on his kimono and left. *Wait Kagome said she had some plan she was going to tell me! Something must not be right. * As he thought this, a piece of paper fell out of his kimono, he picked it up and read it. Then his eyes widened as he read and hurried off to the forth corner of the wall. Kagome was already waiting for him there, then she heard him call out her name and she called back to him assuring him that she was there. Then she backed away from the wall and he clawed a whole through it in one easy stroke. The whole was big enough for her to fit through. Inu-Yasha helped her through. After she was other scooped her into his arms bridal stile and ran, and ran wanting to get as far away as possible before anyone realized what had happened. Then they came across the hill where they had been two nights ago and Inu-Yasha purposely fell over sideways down the hill. Again they rolled down it, happy and care free, laughing all the way. This time Kagome ended up on top of Inu-Yasha. "I love you Kagome." "I love you too Inu-Yasha." "And nobody's ever going to take you from me." He pulled himself up and kissed her, running his hands through her hair, and she kissed back entangling her fingers in his hair. Neither of them wanted to leave that spot, they wished that time could just stop, so that they could stay kissing each other forever. But when a very meddlesome and stubborn Lord has his eyes on a girl, he'll stop at nothing to get her, even if it meant breaking true love. * * * It was almost afternoon, and Inu-Yasha and Kagome wanted to find Miroku and Sango as soon as possible, but they weren't to keen on going back to the village. "What are we gonna do? I can't go back there or the Lord will surely take me again." "Well I can't leave you out here will I go and get them." "How about we narrow down your choices for you?" Kagome and Inu- Yasha whipped around to see a small army behind them, Inu-Yasha jumped to his feet and stood in front of Kagome. "Don't waste your time demon, you can't protect her, like it or not she will be my bride!" The Lord yelled at him. "I'd die before I saw her married to a slut like you!" Inu-Yasha yelled back at him. "As you wish." The Lord smirked at him. "Throw the smoke bombs!" Then from the crowd of men and horses five round objects were thrown. When they reached the ground they exploded letting out more sleeping gas. "Kagome quick get on my back and cover yourself with my cloak, it should keep the smoke out for a few minutes!" He said and he handed her his top-layer of kimono, and swiped her onto his back. He leaped in the air, trying to get above the smoke, Kagome had covered his mouth with part of the Kimono too. He leaped into the forest and ran again. "Fallow them!" The Lord commanded. Inu-Yasha heard horses behind him so he picked up the pace. "You can't run forever demon! Soon you will get tired, but I assure you our horses will be able to keep it up." "Yah, right! A horse outrun a demon?! Don't make me laugh!" But Inu-Yasha new it was true, a horse could keep up this pace a little easier then he could, and he had used a lot of his strength to heal last night. He had to find shelter somewhere, anywhere! Then he looked to his right and he saw a tall ledge that had a cave in the middle. * Perfect! * He thought. I one great leap he jumped up. He set Kagome down on the flour of the cave. "Are you alright Kagome?" He asked her. "I'm fine how 'bout you?" "I'm OK." They looked around themselves. The cave wasn't that big, but it wasn't small either. Then they looked down over the edge and saw the Lord and his small army at the foot of the ledge. "It doesn't look like they're going to move anytime soon." "Nope." * * * It would be twilight soon and Kagome and Inu-Yasha had been cooped up in the ledge all day. They reverted from any plans of escaping through the front door, because when Inu-Yasha looked over the ledge again he nearly had his head shot off with arrows. "Maybe we could see where the back of this cave leads." Kagome suggested. "I like that plan, it's better than risking you getting shot with an arrow while trying to escape that way." He said as he shot a meaningful glance at the cave entrance. They started out to see if there was any way of escaping through the back. "Kagome take my hand." Inu-Yasha told her. She held to him tightly. After a few minutes of walking in silence Kagome screamed as a very slimy something waked over her foot. "Ah!" She screamed. "What happened?" "S-Something slimy just touched my foot!" She said in a very in a disgusted tone. Inu- Yasha just smiled, picked her up bridal stile again and lightly kissed her. A few more moments of walking, then they saw a light up ahead. Inu-Yasha started walking faster, and when they got to the light they just stood there in awe for a few seconds. "It's so beautiful!" Kagome exclaimed. All around them were crystals, large crystals, small crystals, and some crystals that reached to now very high roof of the cave. They took a few moments to look at it and then moved on. They came to another passage and started through it. This time at the end they were over a very large underground lake. There was a land bridge connecting this passage from the next. They looked at each other bravely and started across it. They were almost halfway there when the ground underneath Kagome's feet crumbled. "Kagome!" "Ah!" She screamed as she fell into the murky water. She came back up again, but the weight of the kimono was keeping her down. Inu- Yasha quickly dove in after her. He swam over to her. "Kagome!" He said as she was dragged down again, but this time not by her kimono, something had grabbed her leg. Inu-Yasha swam under and cut her loose from the demon's grasp, then tried to pull her back up to the surface, only to be grabbed by the monster again. Inu-Yasha sliced and slashed at he demon. Then as quickly as he could swam back to the surface. He came up coughing and caught his breath, then he started swimming back to the land bridge. He leaped out of the water and ran to the other tunnel. He noticed that Kagome wasn't breathing. "Kagome?!" "Kagome say something!" He put his head to her heart and heard a beat. He toughed his lips to hers and blew air into her lunges. She stared coughing and spit out some water, then slowly opened her eyes. "Inu-Yasha!" She yelled and clung tightly to his kimono, "I was so scared." She said in a shaky voice. "It's ok I got'tcha." He reassured her while rocking her slightly in his arms. "You ok?" H asked gently. "I am now thanks." She said as she smiled at him, then kissed him on the check and got back up. She turned to the tunnel and saw a dim light ahead. "Look I bet that's the exit!" Inu-Yasha stood up, grabbed her hand and they ran towards it. "Wow, it's sooo nice to be out in the open again!" "Yah." Inu-Yasha agreed. Kagome suddenly started shivering as a breeze blew against her back. "Kagome you're shivering!" "I'm still a little wet." "Here, get out of your wet cloths and put on this." He handed her the top of he's kimono. Kagome went behind a tree and changed. "Now we just have to find out where we are." "Well there's the ledge, and the village was . . .uh." "Maybe we should climb up the ledge, then we'd be able to see where the village is and if the Lord is still at he bottom of the ledge then we can go to the village without worrying about him taking me again." Kagome suggested. "Good plan." So they started their way up the ledge, (which had come to a slope at he exit of the tunnel). It was a very steep climb, but they finally got to the top. "You can see for miles!" Kagome exclaimed. "There's the village." "And there's prince charming." Kagome added sarcastically. "Common, I know exactly were to go now." "Aw, it's kinda romantic up here with the sun rising." Kagome said as she snuggled into Inu-Yasha. "You know, your right." He put his arms around her and leaned his head on hers, taking in her scent. Then he pulled her chin up with his finger, gazed into her eyes, shimmering with the light of the remaining stars, and kissed her. It was a long and passionate kiss. Kagome kissed him back with an equally passionate kiss. They sat there kissing each other, while the sun rose. * * * A few hours later (around noon), they were almost halfway to the village, when, "Halt!" * Oh no. * Kagome thought. "Come on, Kagome I can out run 'em." "K." She said as she climbed onto his back. * * * "I-I t-thing . . . we lost 'em." Inu-Yasha said between gasps. He had been running a long time and it was almost dark now. Then Kagome noticed something about Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha, your ears! It's the new moon!" Inu- Yasha looked down, she was right his claws, fangs and dog ears were gone. "We should rest here a while, just until your demon powers return." "Right." They lay down at the foot of a tree and fell asleep, but they didn't sleep for very long, someone yelling disturbed their sleep. "We found them!" They woke with a start, and jumped to their feet. "A, my bride, I have found you at last! But wait, this can't be the same demon that was after you! Oh well it works out better for me this way! Now that you don't have your demon to protect you, you'll be all the easier for me to take again. Now come with me and tomorrow we shall wed." "There's no way I'm going with you! I refuse to marry someone I don't love!" "Fine, then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way. Archers string your bows!" The arches did what they were told and pointed the arrows at Inu- Yasha. Kagome saw this and stepped in front of him. "D-Don't hurt him!" She said in a frightened voice, even though she meant to sound brave. "Forget don't hurt me! Don't you dare hurt her!" * K, now he sounded brave. * "Come with me my darling and I promise that no harm will come to him!" "Kagome don't go with him! Run! I can take 'em!" "No way am I leaving you here alone in your human form!" "Alright then we'll go together!" "Run!" They took off into the woods. "What are you waiting for shoot him!" They let the arrows fly. They all missed. "Shoot him! Shoot him!" Another fleet of arrows was fired. This time one met its target! "Inu-Yasha!" Kagome cried as he fell to the ground with an arrow in his back. "Ah!" He screamed in agony. She pulled the arrow from his back, just as the Lord rode up. "You!" She screamed at him. You did this to him! You are nothing, but a slimy coward!" She yelled in anger, with tears welling in her eyes. "Back away!" She ordered putting the arrow that was still in her hands up to her neck, just below her face. * This is the only way I can get him to leave us alone! * "Retreat!" He yelled and his small army turned their horses around and headed back to the castle. She dropped the arrow and ran to Inu-Yasha's side, kneeled down and put her arms around him and cried. "Oh Inu-Yasha! Open your eyes, please, open them!" She was holding his head in her arms and crying. "K-Kagome." "Inu-Yasha!" "Kagome . . . are you ... alright?" "I'm fine, how are you?" "Don't worry about me I'll live." He smiled weakly at her. "Take off your shirt, I have to tread your wound." Luckily there was a small stream near-by. She had kept the layers of her kimono, and they were dry now, so she ripped one up and soaked it in the stream. Then she cleaned his wound, tore another layer and rapped the pieces around it. "You just lay still now, I'll get a fire started." She told him as she began to gather sticks. Miraculously she managed to get a small fire going. She took one of the two remaining pieces and rapped herself in it. They then realized how hungry they were, seeing as how they had gone without food for almost three days. Kagome saw some fruit trees that were rip. She picked some of the fruit, washed them in the stream and gave half of them to Inu-Yasha. Then spread the last one on the ground to make a bed. He rolled over so that he was on it. Then she took his kimono and laid it onto of them. He put his arms around her and she snuggled into him. "Good night." Inu- Yasha said as he kissed her head. "Good night." She snuggled in closer to him. * * * After a breakfast of fruit again they set out again. Then out of the treetops a demon flew. Inu-Yasha drew out the tetsusiga, just in case, but as the demon got nearer they saw that it was kirara. "Hey! Kagome! Inu- Yasha!" Sango, Miroku, and Shippo called out. "Hey, guys!" Kagome waved to them. They landed and Shippo ran over and hugged Kagome tightly, he considered her as a second mother now and he had really missed her. "I missed you too Shippo." "What did you guys do while we were gone. "We . . .Uh . . .well." Sango started. "We stayed at he village and waited for you guys." Miroku finished. "So any rumors of the jewel?" Inu-Yasha asked. "Yah, they say there's a demon in the mountains to the left of here who possesses some pieces." Shippo told them. "Alright then lets get going." Inu-Yasha suggested "Wait a minute, if we go now then that Lord will chase us forever!" Kagome said. "I've got an idea!" Shippo said. * * * The Lord and his men where in the woods looking for Kagome and Inu-Yasha. They came to a clearing and they all stopped in horror at what they saw. In the middle of the clearing, they saw a half demon dead with an arrow in him and a girl laying on top of him with a bloody knife in her hand, she was dead as well. "No my bride!" The Lord ran to her side. "Her love and loyalty for this demon was her death! She would not let him die alone." They all bowed their heads in sorrow. "Was I the cause of this? Was this my doing? If I had let this girl be would this event have taken place?" The Lord thought out loud. "Come let us leave this depressing place." He got back on his horse and then he and his men road away. When they were gone they two bodies in the clearing disappeared behind a cloud of smoke for a few seconds then two leafs replaced them. Seconds later Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo burst out of the bushed laughing. "I can't believe they fell for that!" Shippo said between laughs as he rolled on ground. "Did you see the looks on their faces?" Kagome asked. "Yah, they looked like they just got the daylights scared out of them!" Sango agreed. "That was a great idea Shippo, tricking those idiots with your magic leafs." Inu-Yasha congratulated him. "Thanks! I've used 'um lots of times to escape from bigger demons." "Now lets go look for those jewel shards." "Your right and we probably want to get as far away from here as possible." Sango agreed with Miroku. * * * Kagome and Inu-Yasha were standing in a clearing watching the sun set. Kagome turned around so that she could face Inu-Yasha. He looked away from the sunset and into her eyes. "Kagome?" He asked. "Yeah?" "Would you really have done that?" "Done what?" "If I had died that night, would you have died with me?" "Of course I would. I love you, I wouldn't want you to be alone." "Would you die for me?" "Kagome I love you more than live it's self, I would die for you." "Even before you became full demon?" "Kagome, I never want to be a full demon. I did at the beginning, but whenever my demon blood takes over I run the risk of killing or hurting you, or anyone else. I don't what to take that chance." Then he pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her, and out of all the kisses in this story, this one was more passionate, pure and loving than all of them combined. xxxxxxxxxx(*#*)xxxxxxxxxxx ~ The end xxxxxxxxxx(*#*)xxxxxxxxxxx 


	2. AN please read if you want a sequal

A.N./ I forgot to put this last time sorry disclamer: Inu-Yasha is not mine, only that idiotic Lord, and the songs I write  
  
also I would like to say that as soon as I get 5 good reviews I will post the secwail to this story "Rejection and exception." And I'm working on the secqaul to that one as well. 


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